Apple TV subscription service could launch in September

It's been reported for some time that Apple is working on an enhanced channel offering for Apple TV. The Wall Street Journal has now provided more detail, citing sources familiar with the matter.

We'd seen previous rumours that Apple was talking to television companies with the aim of providing some sort of TV service. Walt Disney, CBS and Twenty-First Century Fox are named, with the idea of providing a sort of "lite" package of subscription content.

It looks like Apple's aim is to have a streaming TV service through Apple TV that will give you some of the good bits of a fully-fledged cable service, but leave out some of the smaller parts. Channels like CBS, ESPN and FX are named as likely for inclusion by the WSJ.

With a line-up of around 25 channels, the subscription service would be priced at $30-40 (£20-25) a month. We suspect this would be a US-only offering.

It's thought that Apple's plans for Apple TV will be revealed at WWDC in June, with a launch date of September.

Apple recently dropped the price of Apple TV, meaning the hardware is only $69/£59, but it's thought that its new streaming service would work across Apple devices, including iPhone and iPad.

At Apple's recent Spring forward event, HBO announced that its new HBO Now streaming service was launching exclusively on Apple TV as a standalone service, priced at $14.99.

Whatever Apple has planned for Apple TV, adding content and reducing the price will help strengthen the Cupertino company's position in the living room.